Osaka - Capital of food

Osaka is a very important city of the Kansai region. It is smaller than Tokyo, but still very advanced and it is famous for its food as there are many Japanese traditional dishes that come from this area. Of course, you can get most of these food in Tokyo, but there is more variety and possibly better prices in Osaka.

Though it does not have the number of attractions in Tokyo, a major reason for me to visit Osaka is because it is located at Kansai, and it is very good "headquarters" to be if I want to travel to cities in the vicinity for day trips (as staying in Osaka is cheaper than staying in Kyoto):

• Kyoto: capital of old Japan (will write more on another post)
• Kobe: beef melting in your mouth
• Nara: famous land of deer
• Himeji: a great white castle

It is also a location for me to travel to another city in the south of Japan that I am interested in, Hiroshima (another post).

Tips

• The same tips as Tokyo.
• There are various low cost air carriers that flies from Tokyo to Osaka like "Peach" and "Jetstar" so you can save money, but keep in mind that you would have to add some cost for checked-in luggage. Alternatively, you can take the bullet train and that would make it worth it to get a JR pass.

Transportation

• Subway is excellent.
• As mentioned before, it is a great place to stay if you want to do various day trips to Kyoto as it is about 40 min train ride.

Where to stay

• I would recommend staying either near the Osaka station (there is a big mall and restaurant area nearby) or near Dotonbori area (also shopping and restaurants), whuch is near Namba station.
• During my trip, I stayed near the "Shn-Osaka" station, which is more north, and it is the station where the bullet train goes to. This is convenient if your focus is to travel to other cities like Kyoto.

Things to do

Important Attractions

Osaka Castle

This is cool castle, the exterior is very neat. It reminds me of the Japanese anime show I watched as a child. If you are a bit familiar with Japanese history, you would have heard of characters like Sanada Yukimura, who I think was the commander of the Osaka forces.

There is a very small fee to pay to go inside, and it's more like a museum of artifact during the era of the samurai.

Dotonbori

This area is good for finding something to eat, and to shop around. It's a nice area of walk as it is pleasant.

Optional Attractions

• Osaka Station City (a large mall near Osaka Station)
• Sumo match: if you are in Osaka during March, there is a sumo tournament, but note that you need to get tickets ahead of time, because it sells fast.
• alternatively, you can try arriving to the gymnasium very early, and line up as they sell 100 seats in the morning
• Go to Kobe, which is about 15 min train, and definitely you need to treat yourself at nice lunch for Kobe beef, it melts in your month! There is a set meal in restaurant "Wakkoqu" that costs about $60, but it is worth it!
  
  
  
  
  
• Go to Himeji Castle at Himeji, it's about 1 hour train ride, but the castle is nice, very nice

What to eat

I cannot remember the restaurants I went to, but I can assure you that most of the places in Osaka Station City or the Dotonburi are pretty good.

Definitely try all these types of food:

• Okonomiyaki (local): a "pancake" with goodness and bonito
• omurice: a smooth omelette with rice and ketchup
• takoyaki: yes!
• black sesame or matcha soft serve ice-cream
• ramen (you can always go to Ichiran)